Pete Carroll may give Taylor Mays another chance

Posted by Michael David Smith on April 2, 2019, 5:45 PM EDT

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When last we saw NFL safety Taylor Mays, he was getting cut by the Saskatchewan Roughriders after playing one game for them in 2017. At that point, it was fair to assume Mays was never going to play in the NFL again.

But maybe he will: Mays is getting a tryout with the Seahawks, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

Mays played for Carroll at USC and was upset with Carroll when the Seahawks picked Earl Thomas over him in the 2010 NFL draft. Thomas went to Seattle with the 14th overall pick, while Mays went to San Francisco with the 49th overall pick. Mays was upset, but that was clearly the right call: Thomas was a three-time first-team All-Pro with the Seahawks, while Mays lasted just one year in San Francisco before he was traded to Cincinnati for a seventh-round pick.

Mays has also spent time with the Vikings, Lions and Raiders. If he doesn’t make it on the Seahawks, it’s probably safe to say he’s done.

Mays was once an average backup safety. Those were his best days. I can’t imagine he has gotten any better. The fact that he is getting a tryout with Seattle probably says more about the generosity of Carroll than the skill of Mays.